Organizers
The H&F Awards (Health & Flavor) have been organized by the University of Jaén with the initiative of Dr. Sebastián Sánchez Villasclaras (Center for Advanced Studies in Olives and Olive Oils).
The University of Jaén is strongly involved in the research and development in the olive sector, promoting innovative lines whose objective is the enhancement of the values of the olive and extra virgin olive oil and promoting the transfer of knowledge.
Jaén and Andalusia represent the heart of olive oil production in the world and, how could it be otherwise, an award like this must be held in this environment.
The collaboration of the sponsors, the packing and engineering Tetra Pak, the engineering Alfa Laval, the olive R&D specialist Genosa, and the worldwide largest olive oil company Deoleo. Companies very involved in olive innovation for many years have made possible the celebration of this event.
Awards Day
On December 14, the first
H&F Awards ceremony was held
Premio a la Producción Orgánica – verde intenso.
Ganador: Cortijo de Suerte Alta
Premio a la Producción Orgánica – verde medio.
Ganador: Melgarejo extra virgin | Finalista: Cortijo de Suerte Alta
Premio a la Producción Convencional – verde profundo.
Ganador: Melgarejo extra virgin, Hojiblanca. | Finalista: Auro Vegetal.
Premio a la Producción Convencional – verde medio.
Ganador: Vadolivo | Finalista: Aceites la Muralla
Why H&F Awards?
For years, more and more scientific and clinical studies of great solvency have been demonstrating the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil.
In addition to price, the two most important purchase criteria in the acquisition of any food product are the taste and the health benefits it provides.
The irruption of the so-called functional foods has responded to a need for prevention that has deeply permeated society.
Extra virgin olive oil is a natural and unprocessed functional food, which provides a source of healthy fatty acids, together with minor compounds that make it unique compared to other vegetable sources of fatty acids.
Indeed, these minor compounds, including phenolic compounds, provide not only flavor and aroma to the extra virgin olive oil, but also protection from deterioration caused by light and oxygen. They influence our health.
The farmer’s efforts and his meticulous work will allow to produce excellent oils that combine flavor and health. And this must be rewarded. The awards are usually associated with the organoleptic attributes of the oils but not with the minimal amount of phenolic compounds that provide their real benefits. And that effort to achieve this quality requires an extra effort that must be recognized and valued.
Prevention is
an obligation for society
Objectives
Appreciation
Value the effort made by many farmers to obtain an extra virgin olive oil of a level of excellence that the consumer deserves and demands.
Awareness
Raise awareness in society that, as a result of scientific and clinical research carried out by numerous groups of researchers at an international level and the recognition of the European Commission, the union of natural phenolic compounds present in virgin olive oil and the high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids make this a must-eat daily food, as a source of numerous benefits for our well-being and, specifically, for cardiovascular health, mainly due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity
The processing of healthy olives, harvested at the right time and under strictly controlled processes, as well as the use of suitable containers will allow us to offer quality oils that meet the criteria required by the European authorities to provide health benefits.
Well-proven health benefits
RULES & TERMS
The bases for submitting your candidacy for the H&F Awards are now at your disposal.
The Phenolic Compounds
Phenolic compounds are present in olives when they are in the tree, and there act as a mechanism of defense against UV rays, among others. These phenolic compounds are exposed to several changes in quantity and transformations, and later are transferred to the olive oil, giving them their organoleptical and healthy properties.
According to numerous large and reliable scientific and clinical studies, these compounds, known as phenolic compounds, are behind most of the health benefits of extra virgin olive oils. Based on this large number of studies, the European Commission approved the claim on the labeling, stating that olive oils with more than 5 mg of phenolic compounds per 20 g of oil, contribute to the protection of blood lipids from stress oxidative, one of the most prevalent risk factors in cardiovascular diseases.
Several of these compounds are found in extra virgin olive oil, each of which has its own function and activity. A greater or lesser presence of these phenolic compounds is related to numerous variables, from the variety of the olive from which it comes, the soil in which the olive trees are located, the weather during the ripening time of the olive until the day of its harvesting, the harvesting, the processes of production, the storage and a number of factors that allow the oil obtained to have the level of excellence that the consumer deserves.
Organizer
Sponsors
Collaborating center
